Lucy's Mother-in-Law
Previous episode: Ricky's Screen Test Next episode: Ethel's Birthday http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/Nieto.jpg http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s29/ABMfisher/SuegraAmor.jpg Plot Lucy finds out at the last minute that her mother-in-law, who she has never met, is coming to visit from Cuba. Nervous to impress Mrs. Ricardo, Lucy does everything wrong, from scorching her mother-in-law's dress to losing her in the subway! When Lucy finds out that Mrs. Ricardo is having Cuban friends over to visit one night, she has one last chance to impress her. She has a Spanish-speaking performer whisper correct Spanish into her ear via a hidden microphone. Ricky eventually finds out why Lucy is now suddenly a Spanish whiz, but when he tells his mother, she is just thrilled with how much Lucy has gone through just to impress her! Trivia *Lucy says in this episode that her birthday is August 6th, Lucille Ball's real birthday. Whatever happened to Lucy being a Taurus in episode #7? Guess Lucy didn't know astrology as much as she thought she did! *Lucy's nickname in grade school was Bird Legs. *Desi tries to re-create the translation error he accidentally made in "Cuban Pals." But the joke fails this time around, since it was only funny when it was a genuine flub, not something scripted. Desi then messes up by saying, "I've got my fingers crossed." Lucy ad-libs for him, to correct the line, telling him that he means he has his WIRES crossed. *When Lucy is trying to have Mrs. Ricardo guess what's for dinner via charades, Mrs. Ricardo guesses "gallina" for Lucy's chicken impression. This is because "gallina" is the Spanish word for hen. "Pollo" is only used for the chicken which you EAT, not the animal. This is similar to how "pescado" is used for fish you eat and "pez" is used for the animal that swims. *Interestingly, neither Lucy's mother nor Ricky's mother ever is given a first name. Quotes *Assistant: What's the date of your birth? Lucy: August 6th. Assistant: August 6th, what? Lucy: August 6th, period! Assistant: Oh, won't you tell me the year, too? Lucy: He's the mindreader. Let HIM tell you! *Ricky: They do it with electronics. Lucy: E-leck-tron-icks? *Ethel: Well, when do you start the house cleaning? Lucy: Oh, I wasn't gonna do anything special. The apartment's all clean. Ethel: Honey, your MOTHER-IN-LAW is coming! Stand by for dust inspection! Lucy: Oh, Ethel, you don't think Ricky's mother's coming all the way up from Cuba just to check on my housekeeping! Ethel: Why not? Fred's mother comes all the way from Indiana once a year, just to look under my rug! Oh, brother. If I thought she'd stay home, I'd send her the rug and a box of dirt. *Ethel: Oh, this is the way it always is. Mother-in-laws tell you they'll let you know when they're comin'- they NEVER do! *Ricky: I got my fingers crossed! I'm talking to you in Spanish, I'm talking to Mother in English! Lucy: You got your WIRES crossed! Ricky: My wires- somethin' crossed! ﻿